Comics: X-Factor #35

X-FACTOR #35
December 1988
"Go To The Orphan Maker!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Terry Shoemaker
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cyclops and Jean Grey, Nanny and her forces and N'Astirh's demons all convene at the orphanage of Cyclops' youth with the same goal: steal some babies. This storyline has been building up for months and Louise Simonson has woven the various ongoing stories in X-Factor in with the wider scope of "Inferno" quite well. Cyclops' lost son Christopher is the main target for N'Astirh's demons, who were working alongside X-Fator foes Right until last issue, when they splintered off after finding out where a ton of mutant babies were. It's all well done.

This issue is really exposition heavy and melodramatic, two things which tend to plague Simonson's work on this title. Both Cyclops and Jean talk in powerful and bold statements that are clearly executed, which doesn't fit well with how comics are written now...or how people talk. Plus knowing more about Cyclops' past now, all these flashbacks to his orphanage make me wonder how well they fit in. Is the bully that's picking on him supposed to be Mr. Sinister? Cyclops mentions how cloudy his memories of the place are, which is a big red flag too that something is wrong. I also don't know how orphanages work, but his brother Alex is just shipped away as soon as possible while Cyclops is in a coma. That's rough, right? Do orphanages do that, just split up siblings after they lose their parents? That's cold!

Nanny as a villian has never excited me or worked, so I'm glad that her prevalence in the late '80s gave way to near-non-existance in the '90s and now. This issue introduces some more of Nanny's hench men, none of whom get clear code names or powers. Two of them turn out to be Jean's neice and nephew, which is kinda random (was her sister killed by Nanny? Can't remember that far back right now). Still, the scene where Cyclops finally sees his son again is touching and Simonson sets up the stakes for "Inferno" pretty well.

Terry Shoemaker turns up as fill-in artist again after doing (or maybe before doing) this month's issue of New Mutants. He does a fine job, but when a book is so defined by Walt Simonson's peculiarly energetic style it's hard to fill-in. I also liked the fill-in work Shoemaker did in the '90s more than the everyman-esque stuff he's doing here.

Overall, not the strongest issue of X-Factor dialogue wise, but the plot is fine.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10